to the Lord and love towards the neighbor, and infernal fire is the love of self and the love of the world, and hence the concupiscence of all evils, which flow from those loves as from their fountains.
What is the quality of life appertaining to those who are in hell, may be concluded from the life of such, one amongst another in the world, if external bonds were taken away, and there were no internal ones to restrain.
The life of man cannot be changed after death, it remains then such as it had been; nor can the life of hell be transcribed into the life of heaven, since they are opposite: Hence it is evident that they who come into hell, remain there to eternity; and that they who come into heaven, remain there to eternity."I regret that I have not room for other similar quotations. Many hundreds of passages in the works of our author are devoted to unfolding and demonstrating these important principles, explaining them with every variety of illustration, so as to make them plain to every mind that is earnestly seeking for truth. But if these few quotations, aided by my own very imperfect presentation of the same principles, should be instrumental in awakening the attention of any persons to the importance of seriously examining the heavenly doctrines of the New Jerusalem, by obtaining and faithfully reading the works through which these doctrines are given to the world, an important end will be attained; my most ardent hopes will be realized.
It ought also to be observed in this connection, that though the essential principles of heaven and hell may be thus distinctly characterized, yet each of these ruling loves is capable of being manifested in an indefinite variety of specific forms; and this gives rise to as many different societies, both in heaven and in hell. For if heaven results, as I have endeavored to show, from the love of goodness and truth, and hell from the love of evil and falsity, it will be easily seen that the specific state of each individual must be determined by the manner in which these spiritual principles are received. For the divine goodness and truth being infinite, can
